Destination Andhra Pradesh: Nara Lokesh woos tech giants to build state’s industry

Andhra Pradesh is going all out, meeting with industry giants to build ‘brand Andhra Pradesh’.
The push by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s government to introduce AI, EVs and cutting-edge technology in Andhra Pradesh is becoming more and more evident as IT Minister Nara Lokesh met with top leaders of various multi-national companies in the US to encourage investment in the state.
Nara Lokesh, held meetings with leading executives across major tech companies, including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, Tesla CFO Vaibhav Taneja, and Apple’s Vice President Priya Balasubramaniam. Most recently, he met with former Pepsico CEO
Indra Nooyi seeking her support to make the state achieve sustainable economic growth. Lokesh met the former Pepsico CEO on the sidelines of the ITServe Synergy Summit in Las Vegas and asked her help to highlight the state’s commitment to green initiatives, renewable energy projects, and environmentally friendly policies in the business community.
All these meetings are part of the government’s move to implement investor-friendly policies in the state and build Andhra Pradesh’s technology and manufacturing sectors.
Lokesh, currently touring the United States, sought partnerships to advance digital governance, artificial intelligence (AI), and the electric vehicle (EV) sector within Andhra Pradesh.
During his meeting with Nadella at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Lokesh emphasised Andhra Pradesh’s goals of becoming a regional AI hub and fostering smart city initiatives, inviting Microsoft to support these advancements. Nadella, highlighting Microsoft’s leadership in software and cloud computing, discussed ways the company could contribute to Andhra’s aspirations in data analytics and cybersecurity.
At Tesla’s headquarters in Austin, Lokesh discussed investment opportunities with CFO Vaibhav Taneja, urging Tesla to consider Anantapur as a strategic location for EV and battery manufacturing. He emphasised the state’s renewable energy targets under Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s leadership and pitched Tesla’s potential role in Andhra’s EV and smart energy goals, including battery storage for data centres and the development of an EV charging network.
In San Francisco, Lokesh met with Adobe’s Shantanu Narayen and Apple’s Priya Balasubramaniam, proposing research and development (R&D) initiatives and exploring ways to leverage Andhra’s skilled workforce. Lokesh invited Apple to expand operations in the state, particularly within its new electronics manufacturing clusters, and encouraged Adobe to contribute to Andhra’s digital education and e-governance projects.
Nara Lokesh, who is Andhra Pradesh’s Minister for Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, and Human Resources Development, arrived in the US on October 25 in a week-long visit to attract investments for the state.